Why NCEA?
In Years 12 & 13, Chilton now offers a dual pathway model where students, alongside their parents can choose which educational offering best suits their needs.
NCEA Curriculum
Chilton students can chose to work towards achievement in the national New Zealand qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).
NCEA is nationally and globally recognised as a robust qualification. Our NCEA offering is diverse and will continue to grow.
Students gain the essential skills they need for success at tertiary level and in their future careers.
To find out more about how NCEA works, click here.
When can I start NCEA at Chilton?
In Year 11, students will complete the Cambridge IGCSE; International General Certificate of Secondary Education. Then, in Year 12 students have the choice to continue with the Cambridge pathway and go on to AS & A Levels, or pick up NCEA Level 2 and Level 3. Whichever pathway suits their learning style best.
Tell me more about NCEA
With NCEA, subjects are divided up into all the things you need to know called standards.
Each standard is worth credits – and credits count towards the final qualification.
It means that instead of doing a three-hour exam on the whole subject of English, you could be assessed in separate standards about writing a business letter, analysing a text, making a film, and giving a speech. Some of these will be tested in an exam at the end of the year, and some will be assessed during the year.
To get NCEA, you need to get 80 credits at each level. At levels 2 and 3, 20 of the 80 credits can be from another level.
You also need to achieve a minimum number of literacy credits (writing, speaking and listening skills) and numeracy credits (number, measurement and statistical skills) but these can be gained in a large number of different subjects.
You can build up credits during the year – or even over more than one year – and once you’ve got credits, they last forever. You can keep track of how many credits you’re stacking up as you go along.
When you get your results, you’ll know how many credits you’ve got, and a letter will appear next to each one – N, A, M, E. These stand for Not Achieved, Achieved, Merit, and Excellence, these tell you how well you did in reaching the standard. You won’t get any more credits for getting Merits and Excellences but if you get enough credits with Merits or Excellences (50 to be exact) you’ll get a Certificate of Endorsement. This is a good reason to keep aiming for Merits and Excellences, even after you’ve reached 80 credits.
Merits and Excellences can also be useful if you’re doing well in particular courses or subjects. Course Endorsement tells people you are especially good at a particular subject or course. If you get 14 credits with Excellence in a particular course you will have that course endorsed with Excellence.
Because NCEA is recognised internationally it means you can study at an overseas university.
Whether it’s Cambridge International or NCEA we have a pathway to suit each individual student.
NCEA FAQs
Your child will be able to choose the pathway that they wish to follow. While we are here to offer academic counselling we will support students to succeed in whichever pathway they choose.
No, students must choose one qualification and follow this for Year 12 and Year 13. If a student early in Year 12 feels they have made the wrong choice we can look at making a change but will encourage students to choose carefully at the end of Year 11.
Not at all. They are very different in their approach to assessment and it will come down to personal preference, but students can confidently go on to tertiary education both here in New Zealand and abroad with either.
We will have a variety of core subjects on offer including English, Mathematics and Biology and a range of option subjects which will be confirmed early in Term 3 once we have a clearer indication of interest and student numbers.
All the digital skills you need for each course will be integrated into the teaching and learning. You will be expected to have a laptop and various software will be recommended. The majority of learning materials will be available on our Learning Management System, Chilton Central.
Not at all. NCEA Level 1 is not a prerequisite for entering Level 2 or 3. Many schools across New Zealand have chosen not to offer NCEA Level 1 courses. We feel that all students completing the Cambridge IGCSE qualification in Year 11 is a more suitable foundation for either pathway.
- Be positive
- Be diligent
- Be organised
- Be proactive and ask for help
- Be involved and enjoy classes.